


Battle Field

by BellarmyBlake



Series: It's Enough [19]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Happy Ending, Mentions of Major Character Death, lots of dead bodies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-13 03:17:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3365765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BellarmyBlake/pseuds/BellarmyBlake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: After the battle with the WW is over and Emma starts to panic when she can't find him. Hours pass and she finds his wounded body and takes him to the hospital.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Battle Field

The dust settled pretty slowly after the Witch was gone. Emma wandered the battle field (she hated saying it, but it was what it was), empty and broken and exhausted. She couldn't cry over the bodies she saw scattered across the field. Nameless and people she knew, it didn't matter. They were all dead, they were all slaughtered in this stupid battle.

Neal.

Henry'd lost his father.

She'd lost her spirit.

Seeing and participating in a battle is somewhat different than hearing about it on the news, or reenacting one in a game with Henry. It broke you. It destroyed you. All the blood you saw, all the horrors...it would never be erased.

Emma didn't know she could handle it.

Which is why she had thrown up a wall again. Her heart was completely disconnected from the rest of her. She didn't even need to take it out. She was far too skilled for that.

One of the dwarves was lying at her feet, still and dead, his eyes staring into space...a monkey's tail still coming from his behind. Someone from her side had slain him. All because he had been an unwilling slave to the Witch. Emma gasped as her heart sprang against its imaginary confines, giving her a jolt of pain. It was all so horrible.

"Emma!" She spun around and saw her father running towards her.

The sheer relief of seeing him alive and well, made her utter the word she had dreaded for so long, the moment he wrapped his arms around her. "Dad." She buried her face in his shoulder and inhaled his scent. It smelled like home. She should've been brought up with this scent. Should've been calling him dad for all her life. It should've all been different.

"Emma, are you okay?" he whispered in her hair, cradling the back of her head like he always did. It felt so comforting.

"No." Emma murmured.

"Are you hurt?" Worry flooded David's voice.

"No, dad..." Emma sighed.

David nodded. "I know. I know, sweetie, I know." He held her close to his chest. "It's over now."

"What about mom? And James?" She found that she had no trouble calling them mom and dad anymore. It was as if this battle broke that final wall she'd held up against them.

"They're fine. They're both perfectly okay."

"What about Henry? And Hook?"

David sighed. "Henry is fine, since Neal he's remembering more and more. But Hook..." His tone made Emma freeze. Oh God...he was dead. He had been killed and she hadn't been there to save him. "Hook's missing. We can't seem to find him anywhere."

Missing.

Not dead.

But still gone. She had to find him. "Dad, I gotta go." she said, breaking away from her father's comforting embrace and looking at him. "I have to find him."

To her surprise, David simply nodded. "I know." he said, smiling. "If he's out there, you'll find him." She threw him a grateful look, then turned and started running.

"Hook!" she yelled. She darted through the battle field, overturning every body, but knowing they weren't him before she'd even touched them, calling his name again and again while silent tears slowly dripped down her cheeks.

Neal she could handle. Sort of.

But if  _he_  was dead...she wouldn't be able to handle it. She couldn't even think about it without feeling like falling into a black pit. She'd be lost without him.

"Hook!" she screamed. She'd scoured the entire field, had turned over all the bodies,  _twice_ , but no Hook. Oh God, she couldn't begin to think about what happened to him. The options were far too horrible. She spun around, desperately searching for another place where he could be. Her eyes fell on the forest and - wait, the  _woods_. The only place she hadn't looked and she was looking right at it.

She ran as fast as her tired legs could carry her, ignoring shouts of the survivors for her help. David would deal with it. She knew he would. She darted into the woods, disappearing between the trees, and suddenly silence overcame her. Except for the rustling of leaves and cracking of trees, she heard absolutely nothing. "Hook?" she tried, her voice sounding far too loud in this tranquil place, and she cringed. How was she ever going to find him here? She should've brought Ruby. "Hook!"

She walked through the forest slowly, taking everything in, listening to the smallest noise, and she did it for hours on end, until suddenly, she heard a faint echo of a voice. A voice that called a name.  _Her_  name. "Hook?!"

"Em-Emma!" She heard it clearly now. He sounded weak, and injured, but determined to get to her.

"Hook, don't move, I'm coming!" she yelled, and she started to race towards the voice. Through the bushes in the distance, she heard rustling and the cracking of twigs, as if something large and clumsy was coming through there. "Stop moving, you idiot!"

But of course he didn't listen, and he came stumbling out of the foliage, looking like he went through hell and back. Maybe he did. Emma had never run so fast as she did now, focussing on nothing but getting to her pirate. "Emma!" he exclaimed tiredly, his eyes lighting up the moment he saw her. He collapsed against her the moment she reached him, his arms wrapping around her, and she wrapped hers around him as well. "Thank heavens you're alright." he murmured, while she guided him to the ground, cradling him in his arms. "I thought - " he gasped at some unidentified pain, and Emma could feel the blinding panic coursing through her. "I thought I'd lost you, love."

Emma kissed his forehead, comforting him. "I'm fine. I'm fine, I'm okay, don't worry about me. What happened to you?"

"Monkeys...some guards...the Witch herself graced me with her presence at one point." He literally had to force the words out of his throat, it hurt him to speak. "Is she...? What happened?" he said, while trying to sit up.

"Shh, shh." Emma said, her voice shaking. "It's okay, it's over, she's gone, back to Oz for good. Just stop moving, Hook." She fumbled for her phone, but it was gone, lost in the fight no doubt. Damn it. "I've got to get you to the hospital."

"Emma, it's no use."

"Stop talking like that, I swear I will kill you myself once you've recovered."

He laughed at that, wincing and grabbing his side as he did. "Oh lass, always so fierce. It would be a privilege, being killed by you. I know of worse ways to go."

"Shut up, Hook." She concentrated hard on her goal, like Regina taught her. Getting Hook to the hospital. She couldn't carry him, but her magic could. A simple levitation spell would do the trick.

"What are you doing, love -  _whoa_!" Suddenly he was floating 3 feet in the air, suspended and unable to move. It would've looked rather comical if he hadn't been badly injured. With sheer willpower, she started to push him forward as quickly as possible. "Emma - this is amazing - how did you...?"

Emma laughed a bit, a humorless laugh filled with fear. "Even at death's doorstep, he still won't shut up even if it could save his bloody life." She rolled her eyes at him as he smirked. It didn't quite reach his eyes though.

"Well, you did catch me off guard." he murmured. Emma rolled her eyes again, but didn't respond, knowing that if she kept talking, so would he. They fell into a long silence, in which she walked through the woods and the battle field to the hospital that was probably swamped. But Killian needed help, or he would die, and she'd be damned if she let that happen. "Love, I'll be all right." he whispered suddenly as they moved down the main street to the hospital.

"Shush."

"I will. I promise. It's okay to let me go."

Emma stopped in her tracks for a second before pushing him forward harder than before. "You're delusional. Shut up."

"Emma, this is exhausting you, you have to let me go."

"I'll die before I do!" Emma growled at him, gritting her teeth as she pushed him ahead of her with all she had. Yes, this was exhausting, draining, pulling at all her resources to keep him afloat.

"Emma..." Killian said, his voice soft, full tenderness and love, and Emma felt new strength flow into her. Just a few more minutes. "Gods, I love you." he murmured, and she felt more than saw him slip out of consciousness.

"Hook! Stay with me!" she yelled, and her power left her completely, both of them collapsing to the ground. She crawled over to him, cradling him in her lap. "Don't leave me, too. Not you." she whispered, her voice breaking over her tears that slipped down her cheeks and dripped on his. Suddenly, she felt like the lost little girl she used to be so long ago. She couldn't do anything. She couldn't save him. She cried out the only name that felt right at the moment, the only person that could help her, "DAD! DAD, PLEASE HELP ME! PLEASE!" Not a minute later, she heard footsteps come closer and to her relief, she saw David come towards her, a frantic look on his face with a couple of paramedics behind him.

"Emma!" David fell to his knees, pulling her in his arms. "It's okay, I've got you, I'm here, sweetie, I've got you." She cried against his chest, finally able to feel a father's embrace, and revel in it.

"I can't lose him. Not him. Please, dad, don't let him die." she sobbed.

David kissed the top of her head, and then looked at the paramedics who were inspecting Hook. One of them smiled at them. "He's going to be fine. Suffered blood loss and some head trauma, but nothing that rest and a blood transfusion can't fix. We'll take him to the hospital to find out his blood group."

Emma nearly screamed with relief. He was going to be okay. He'd live. "Oh God..." she murmured against David's shirt.

"He'll be fine, Emma. He's going to be okay." David whispered in her ear, while stroking her hair gently. "He's not going anywhere. He's too stubborn to leave your side." That made Emma laugh a little, because it was true. Just like her, he was stubborn as fuck and he would do anything to stay with her.

"Thank you, dad. For hearing me. For coming for me when you did." she whispered.

"You're my little girl. You may not be so little anymore, but you'll always be that baby I almost died for to protect. And I'll always hear you. I'll always find you. Our family always does, remember?" He hugged her tightly, before helping her up and taking her to the hospital where Whale was already busy on Hook.

"Does someone have blood type B positive?" he yelled, and Emma dove into her memories, trying to recall her blood type. Something with an A. So that's not good.

"I do!" David said to everyone's surprise. "I do, take my blood."

"Dad..." Emma said, grabbing his arm. He smiled at her.

"It's gonna be fine, sweetheart. We'll both be okay." That's when he and Killian got hurried off to some operating room. Emma felt numb as she watched them leave, and all the what-ifs shot through her mind. What if the transfusion wouldn't work? What if they weren't compatible after all?

Her thoughts were mercifully interrupted by a yell. "MOM!" She spun around, seeing Henry race towards her, and she sank to her knees to catch him in her arms.

"Henry!" she murmured into his shoulder, crushing him to her body. "Thank God."

"Are you okay?" he asked, a little frantic. After losing his dad, he'd been on edge and worried about his moms.

"I'm fine, kid. How's Regina?"

"Fine, too. She's helping out with healing those in mortal danger." He sounded so proud, and Emma smiled. Regina really had turned her life around. "Where's Hook?"

Emma explained the situation to him, after which he hugged her again. "He'll recover, mom. I know he will." he said soothingly, and Emma smiled.

It took hours of waiting, worrying and wondering, with Henry, her Mom and little James. Every time a Doctor approached them, she perked up only to slump back in her seat when they passed. Her nails were the things that felt her anxiety the most; chewed and broken until she couldn't get a hold of a piece to chew off.

What was taking so long? Blood transfusion wasn't that difficult was it?

The comforting words of her son and mother were spoken to deaf man's ears. As everything quieted down around her, the wounded all patched up, the dead brought to the morgue, her mind remained loud and annoying, screaming at her that she'd once again been abandoned.

Until finally,  _finally_ , Whale came out, looking satisfied. That was good, right? On the other hand, he  _was_  Frankenstein, so who knows... "They're recovering. You can go see them now." Emma was on her feet right when he said 'recovering', practically running to the room Whale had pointed at. Two adjacent rooms, actually. She left her father to her Mom (she knew they hadn't really seen each other for hours) and entered Killian's room instead. He was hooked up to all kinds of devices, the heartbeat monitor being the most prominent. His cuts and scrapes were patched up and he was starting to look like the pirate she knew and loved. He looked like he was asleep.

"Hook?" she said gently.

His eyes flashed open immediately, his head turning to her, and he broke out in a grin. "Swan." he sighed, full of relief. "Come to kiss me better?" he teased immediately after.

Emma rolled her eyes, but smiled. His innuendos - if not too graphic - always managed to cheer her up. "Ever the pirate."

"Always, love." he said, winking. "Come here." he invited her with a pat on the bed, and she sat down. His hand settled on top of hers. "So what happened after I lost consciousness?"

"David gave you some blood. You should be fine."

"He  _gave_  me blood?"

"Oh right." She sometimes forgot how little he still knew. "It's a blood transfusion. Whale pumped it out of his body through a tube much like this one," she touched his morphine drip. "And into yours. You had the same blood type. Don't ask me how those types works, because I honestly don't know."

Killian nodded, playing with her fingers mindlessly. "It seems I owe him my life." He looked at her. "And you. I owe you everything."

Oh. Skipping the small talk, then. "Don't be ridiculous."

"It's true. You saved me, Emma Swan, in every way a person can be saved." He brought her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles, and she closed her eyes, enjoying it. "And I'm sure you heard what I said before I lost consciousness. It's true. I love you. And I don't plan on denying it any longer. I've almost lost you too many times for that."

Emma nodded to his words, her mind reeling. So many feelings poured into so little words. "In Neverland you said that the fun would begin when I choose. What kind of fun?"

Killian's grin grew wider. "More fun that your wildest imaginings could come up with."

"Hook..." she said, but he interrupted her.

"Am I? Am I still Hook? I think it's time you use my real name." His eyes were shining with sincerity, and she saw no trace of Hook, except for the cockiness perhaps.

She gave in. "I've chosen,  _Killian_. Even though it wasn't really a choice at all. My favourite movie taught me one thing, 'you've already made the choice. You're here to understand it.' In this case you is me. My choice was made long ago. I finally understand it. It's you, Killian. Always you."

Despite the fact that he was weak, tired and wired up, he lifted his hand to her neck and pulled her close, his lips crashing on hers with passion and love.

The kiss was everything it had been in Neverland, and more. It was love, passion, anger, fear, desperation, burning desire...it was a kiss that made the earth tremble and the Fates sing, because another True Love had finally found each other. They were finally home.

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews and comments feed my muse, and she's a hungry lass. If you could take a moment, it'd make my day!


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